MSR Thru-Hiker Mesh House 1 vs Outdoor Research Helium Bivy
Two shelters, measured against each other on the figures that decide whether they work on a bike.
The short answer
The MSR Thru-Hiker Mesh House 1 is ahead on weight, floor space and price. Nothing published here goes the other way.
Assembled from the differences below rather than written over them. Every figure is a published measurement or computed from one — nobody here has used either one.
Where they differ
4 of the 4 things we can measure come out differently.
Poles to carry
the Thru-Hiker Mesh House 1 has no pole set at all, the Helium Bivy doesA trekking-pole shelter has nothing to fit across your bars, which removes the constraint entirely — but you then need poles from somewhere, strapped to the frame or bought separately. It is a different problem, not a smaller one.
Minimum weight
231g lighter on the Thru-Hiker Mesh House 1Trail weight where the maker publishes one — fly, inner and poles, without the stuff sacks or the footprint. Worth reading against the pole length rather than instead of it: a Bikepack edition is usually a few grams heavier for shorter poles.
Floor area
0.39m² more floor in the Thru-Hiker Mesh House 1Inner length by inner width as published. On a bike trip the floor also has to take whatever you brought inside off the bike, so a few centimetres is not nothing.
Price
$50 between themAs we hold it. Shelter prices move more than most gear, so check before you commit.
Side by side
Including the rows where they are level.
| MSR Thru-Hiker Mesh House 1 | Outdoor Research Helium Bivy | |
|---|---|---|
| Poles to carry | None — trekking-pole shelter | 311mm folded |
| Minimum weight | 280g | 511g |
| Floor area | 223 × 84cm — 1.87m² | 208 × 71cm — 1.48m² |
| Price | $200 | $250 |